The stop on Bute was cold despite the winter sun. It was a relief to start the 10.6km crossing of the Sound of Bute to Sannox on Arran. Pogies helped keep our hands warm. The thermometer on my radio didn't go above -2C all day.
We left Bute in very calm conditions and a little sprinting soon had us warm again.
It was a very companionable crossing and the mountainouus backdrop was its usual magnificent self!
About half way across, a breeze got up from the SE. It seemed to accelerate round the steep slopes of Holy Island.
We were glad of our sunglasses as we paddled across a dazzling sea.
As we approached Glen Sannox, our tiny craft were dwarfed by the scale of the landscape. When we entered the cold shade of its mountains there was no more need for sunglasses. Indeed, the nearby village of
Lochranza gets almost no direct sun in winter. The sun never rises above Arran's peaks from its street..
